Held Hostage in America's Heartland: Five Years in Southwest Missouri (Paperback)

In 2006, Gypsy Roz Lei and her family left California's Central Valley in a motor home to find a new home, eventually relocating to a small town in southwest Missouri. Southwest Missouri is a land time has forgotten, where social rules and traditions supersede the rule of law, and outsiders are at a distinct disadvantage. Difficulties arise almost immediately and cultural differences complicate matters. Shunned as outsiders and isolated from family, friends, and anything remotely recognizable, Ms. Lei realizes this relocation is one huge mistake. Ms. Lei tries various solutions, but each one clashes with Ozark traditions bringing numerous personal challenges. Frustrated with local attorneys, she enrolls in college at the age of 49, determined to educate herself, protect her family, and clean up the biggest mistake of her life. Through numerous betrayals, including by her attorneys, Ms. Lei finally prepares the legal showdown herself in this chronicle of an American dream turned nightmare.